Category Archives: Writing

Life experience and passion are necessary to make any kind of writing pop off the page. The most famous authors today have meshed their life’s work, or their favorite hobbies, with their writing. Clive Cussler, Dan Brown, John Grisham and Robin Cook are a few of the authors that have written to their passion by writing about the subjects with which they are most familiar.

The writing of many authors seems more real because it is infused with their own life experiences. Some writers are inspired by personal tragedy or political beliefs. Some authors are motivated by a dysfunctional childhood to create a unique writing style or imaginary world.

.

Who are Some Famous Authors Who Have Survived Incredible Odds?

• Emily Elizabeth Dickinson (1830–1886) was an American poet who lived a mostly introverted and reclusive life. She was considered eccentric. Although she was a prolific poet, fewer than a dozen of her poems were published during her lifetime. Those that were published were altered significantly by publishers. It was not until after her death that the full scope of Dickinson’s work was discovered.

• Steven King (1947-present) is, arguably, the top-selling author of horror novels in the United States. Many of his books have been made into successful motion pictures and mini-series over the decades. Mr. King wasn’t always successful. His first major work, Carrie (1973) was rejected over 30 times. His wife retrieved an early draft out of the trash and demanded that he finish it. In the late 1970’s, Carrie was made into King’s first blockbuster movie. Another struggle that the author dealt with was the desertion of his father when King was 2 years old. The family was left near penniless. Steven King’s most recent complication occurred in 1999. He was walking on a rural highway when he was struck by a distracted driver. He suffered multiple injuries.

• J.K Rowling (1965-present) is the United Kingdom’s top selling author. She writes the Harry Potter Series. She has had many challenges in her life, including the following: her mother’s illness and death, a challenging relationship with her father, domestic abuse during her first marriage (finally ending in divorce), a miscarriage, clinical depression, and poverty.

• Malala Yousafzai (1997-present) is a Pakistani author, social activist, and youngest-ever Nobel Prize recipient. She was the co-recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014. She fought for human rights, including equal education for girls, in her home province where the local Taliban had often banned females from attending school. She began blogging anonymously on the BBC Urdu website in 2008 about the militant Taliban’s growing influence. She kept blogging despite death threats. In October, 2012, she was shot three times by a Taliban gunman while traveling on her school bus. Yousafzai’s memoir I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and was Shot by the Taliban, was published in October, 2013.

• Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811-1896) was an American abolitionist and author. Her novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1852) was a depiction of life for African Americans under slavery. It energized anti-slavery forces in northern states while provoking widespread anger in the southern states. President Abraham Lincoln is quoted as saying that Harriet Beecher Stowe’s book helped the northern states to win the Civil War. She and her husband were critics of slavery. They supported the Underground Railroad by temporarily housing several fugitive slaves in their home.
.

What Can These Achievers Teach Us?

• Address topics that impassion your imagination and real life. Harriet Beecher Stowe and Malala Yousafzai wrote about extreme social injustice. The works of J.K Rowling and Emily Dickinson are fueled by fantasy born of childhood isolation and personal trauma.

• Write on topics, or in styles, that will change the world. Uncle Tom’s Cabin opened the eyes of America to the horrors of slavery. Emily Dickinson’s groundbreaking style of poetry broadened the spectrum of that genre.

• Illuminate your own world as you envision it; readers may want to become temporary residents. Most people do not live in a world of haunted hotels, psychopathic high-school students and children, or cars that seem to come to life. Yet, Steven King’s horror novels have been bestsellers for over 30 years. Many readers choose to read to escape reality. They are looking for something new.

• Expose the truth at all costs, no matter how ugly it is. Malala Yousafzai fought to expose the repellant truth of legitimized social injustice in her own country despite bullying and an assassination attempt. I believe that the unbelievable perseverance of survivors like the five trendsetters listed above can inspire every author. They are inspirational in how they dealt with personal trauma, their refusal to quit, their groundbreaking techniques and topics, and their passion. May we follow their examples as we write to our own truth and passion!

Now it’s your turn: How have you meshed your passion with your writing?
.

Traci Lawrence writes about her passion: communication, relationships, the value of individuals and rising above verbal bullying, or trash talk. She lives in the Northern Virginia area of the United States and teaches English, among other subjects. Please find more on her blog, and read her book: Accept No Trash Talk

.

<><><><><>

.

If you would like to get more support in all things publishing, have your book intensively promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites – or to learn how you can make yourself a name as an author through content writing: We offer all this and more for only $179 for three months – or less than $2 per day! Learn more about this customized Online Seminar / Consulting for writers: http://www.111Publishing.com/Seminars

Please check out all previous posts of this blog (there are more than 1,120 of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article for easy sharing at Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and StumpleUpon.
Thanks a lot for following:

Do you like to travel to foreign countries, or other states / provinces? Enjoy weekend trips to new places? Where does your novel or non-fiction book takes place? In your home town or in a foreign city? I bet you did a lot of research to describe those places. Leverage this research work and all your travel experiences to write not only for travel or well-paying airline magazines, but also for newspapers or lifestyle magazines – print and online. Travel articles are not for travel magazines only! Why wait months or years until royalties for your books arrive, when you can easily write articles that pay faster – and a lot more per word count?

.
Travel Magazines Are Not the Only Possibility
Seniors magazines, parenting magazines, business magazines, frugal-living magazines, health magazines, writing magazines, newspapers – from free locals to national and international, and even pet magazines, they all print travel articles and city profiles. Here are a few examples of topics that fit into a variety of magazines / newspapers:

How to save money when ordering a rental car

Traveling with Fido to Canada – pet friendly hotels

How to spend your waiting hours between flights

The Gardens of Venice, Italy

Scenic road trips to …

Amazing weekend destinations in …

Dining and nightlife tips for …

Top Ten Things to Do on a Budget in …

Most interesting museums to go with kids in …

How to save money when taking a road trip

Gear and gadgets that cater to your kids travel joy

Tips for people with disabilities or medical conditions on air travel

Best wine sampling places / wineries in …

Marvellous National Parks of the North West

Historic places to visit in Southern Great Britain

.What Works Best
The first most important step is to read many issues of the magazine or newspaper to find out if there was anything similar written before you query them. Travel articles containing more than the 2,000 words including high-resolution images works usually best.
If you don’t have the necessary skills or equipment to offer stunning photos, contact regional or state tourist sites and ask them for photos to accompany your article. They are almost always free to use. It might take a couple of days or even weeks to receive their permission, so contact them early, and once your article is printed, send them a copy and a thank you note. Another possibility is to check out free photo sites, such as Morguefile.com or any other site as described in a former blog: 7 Free Photo Sources.

.Examples of Magazines You Can Write for:
Check out former blog posts where we provided details about magazines, using the search function on SavyBookWriters.wordpress.com and type in freelance writing or writing for magazines. Here are a couple more links:

Re-Purpose Your Writing Content
Just to give you an example how you can re-purpose research and content of your novel, that may take place in medieval Great Britain or a travelogue you wrote about a trip to Europe: You could for example write an article about horse staples in the UK for equestrian magazines, bike riding paths in Denmark to a bike magazine, about one of the fantastic gardens in Great Britain to garden magazines, how to travel on a budget to European cities for a frugal living magazine, a feature about pumpkin seed pressing in Austria for gourmet magazines, an article about a historic flax or wool mill in France for a sewing or craft magazine, a photo feature that you took in a boutique hotel for a fine interior magazine, how to dress for city trips without looking like a tourist for fashion or lifestyle magazines …

.
Possibilities to write for magazines other than the traditional travel markets are virtually endless. Travel articles often cover one or more market boundaries. Leverage every opportunity to “cross-over” into other non-travel magazines with your travel articles. And best of all: writing for magazines or newspapers will allow you to add a two-sentence bio, including a link to your author website or to your book sales page, which will be then seen by a completely new audience. A great way of book marketing and to expand your platform and portfolio!.

BTW: While researching for this article we came over an interesting Travel Writing Contest:
Fall 2014 Travel Writing Contest, $1,000 Prize!

After the terrific success of our Spring Writing Contest, (fee $15.00 USD) we are doing it again! This time, award-winning literary travel magazine, Nowhere, is teaming up with Lorin Stein, editor of The Paris Review, for the first Nowhere Fall Travel Writing Contest. (Yes, we like the seasons.)

We are looking for young, old, novice and veteran voices to send us stories that possess a powerful sense of place. Stories can be fiction or nonfiction, but please indicate which genre at the top of your manuscript. Entries should be between 800-5,000 words and must not have been previously chosen as a winner in another contest. Previously published work is accepted, but again, please indicate this. Every submission will be read blind, so anyone can win… Brush off your manuscripts or write something new and send it to the only literary travel magazine going… We look forward to reading your work. Deadline Dec. 31, 2014.

.

<><><><><>

.

If you would like to get more support in all things publishing, have your book intensively promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites – or to learn how you can make yourself a name as an author through content writing: We offer all this and more for only $179 for three months – or less than $2 per day! Learn more about this customized Online Seminar / Consulting for writers: http://www.111Publishing.com/Seminars

Please check out all previous posts of this blog (there are more than 1,100 of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and StumpleUpon.
Thanks a lot for following:

Successful authors may use just a few words to evoke an image, or they may use a whole page. Poets may use only a few words to describe a person, or a scene. Novelists may use a whole page to describe the same person, or scene. In either case, the reader will be able to feel, smell, see, or taste what the author is describing.
.

What are Visual Triggers?Visual triggers are words, people, or places that paint pictures in our minds. For instance, if I write the words “She moved as slowly as a sloth”, the reader is likely to envision the slowest-moving mammal on Earth that sleeps in trees as a defensive measure.
.

Why is it Important to Trigger Visual Cues with Words?Visual cues are important in order to give the reader a wider vision. We want to more clearly visualize what is being written. It’s the difference between viewing a tweet and clicking on the tweet in order to get taken to the related website. For example: recently, I saw a tweet that advertised a beautiful diamond ring. That tweet prompted me to go to the website to get the wider vision of that company’s products and services.

The reader needs to be helped to look through a wide-angle lens, not a telephoto lens. For example, a reader will appreciate Shakespeare’s character, Hamlet’s, famous “To be or not to be…” soliloquy more if he understands the context of the soliloquy: Hamlet has recently been visited by his father’s ghost who informed Hamlet that he was killed by Hamlet’s uncle. According to most sources, the despondent Hamlet is considering suicide during that soliloquy.
.What are some types of visual triggers that authors use?

There are three ways to trigger pictures in a reader’s mind:

Suzanne Arruda is an example of a modern novelist that uses detailed descriptions of settings and characters. Literally, she paints pictures in the reader’s mind. The reader is transported to 1920’s Kenya and Europe. When I read her novels, I feel the heat, I smell the smells, and I can visualize the people and places about which she writes. I am on safari. I am solving mysteries and murders.

William Wordsworth was one of the most famous English poets of the early 19th He knew how to paint pictures with a minimum of words. Any reader of Wordsworth’s poetry will find himself instantly transported to Wordsworth’s beloved corner of England, the Lakes district, with only a few words. Wordsworth’s brief descriptions of local streams and hills transport me to those streams and hills. I am lying on the cool grass, relaxing in a much less hectic time and place.

Bloggers fall somewhere in the middle of poets and novelists. Bloggers will normally use more words than a poet, and fewer words than a novelist, to get their point across.

.

How to Use Words as Visual Triggers
Some forms of writing don’t lend themselves to detailed descriptions of characters and settings. However, examples, analogies, and metaphors are useful for most writing—fiction, or non-fiction. Some examples and metaphors in my book include:

Diamonds start out as soft carbon. Over millions of years, heat and pressure compact the carbon, pushing it deeper and deeper under the Earth’s surface. The fully-formed diamonds are the strongest mineral on the planet.

A fine china teacup begins as a shapeless lump of clay on a potter’s wheel. The teacup is formed on the potter’s wheel. Then, the teacup is fired in a kiln, painted, and glazed. The final product is a rare luxury item, inaccessible to the general public.

Michelangelo, the famous Italian Renaissance sculptor and artist, formed some of the most breathtaking sculptures of all time from huge slabs of marble.

Meat can be tenderized in a solution of citric acid, such as that in pineapple juice. Meat that has soaked in a pineapple-juice marinade for at least two hours will be tender because the citric acid has broken down the tendons in the meat.
.

In my book, I used the examples and analogies above to illustrate the benefits of challenges. I wanted to illustrate how hard work, “pressure”, and “heat” can improve the lives of people in the end. I wanted people to visualize themselves as a flawless diamond, a teacup so precious that I have never seen one, a celebrated sculptor/artist, and meat so tender that it can be cut with a fork.

Traci Lawrence writes about her passion: communication, relationships, the value of individuals and rising above verbal bullying, or trash talk. She lives in the Northern Virginia area of the United States and teaches English, among other subjects. Please find more on her blog, and read her book: Accept No Trash Talk

.

<><><><><>

.

If you would like to get more support in all things publishing, have your book intensively promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites – or to learn how you can make yourself a name as an author through content writing: We offer all this and more for only $179 for three months – or less than $2 per day! Learn more about this individual book marketing help: http://www.111Publishing.com/Seminars

Please check out all previous posts of this blog (there are more than 1,100 of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and StumpleUpon.
Thanks a lot for following:

.How to Choose a Compelling Headline
Most Popular Words & Phrases in Blog and Website Headlines – or Non-Fiction Books for That Matter: Your blog or website headline is the first, and perhaps only, impression you make on a prospective readers and lure them into your article. A compelling headline must promise some kind of benefit or reward for the online visitor.

.
It doesn’t make sense to spend hours in creating high quality content and then put little thought into writing a good headline. If you want to attract more views to your website or your writing, then your headlines should also be optimized for search engines. Use likely search terms and front-load your headlines with the most important keywords.

.Dress it up With Emotion-stirring Words
Author Kathrin Tschiesche in Bookboon.com: “Frequently, when two headlines are relevant, clear and SEO (Search Engine Optimization) friendly, the headline that gets more clicks is the one that uses emotionally stirring words aimed at capturing readers’ attention. You too, can really ‘dress up’ your headline by adding a few compelling words to it.”
“For example, try to add the adjectives “eye-catching”, “sizzling”, “compelling” or “magnetic” to the word “headlines” and you achieve an appealing and attainable effect. If you are not sure which power words to choose – a variation of “fast”, “simple”, and “easy” are your safest bet.”
.

Mark Thompson Compiled a Great List of 150 Compelling Headlines:.
# Tips To Simplify ______________
Greatest _________ Tips of All Time
Avoid ______________ Disasters
________________, What It Can Do For You
# Things You Didn’t Know about ______
# Reasons to Hate _________
#Amazing Blogs about ________
# Secrets about __________
How Does ______ Work?
How to be Great at _______
# ____________ Myths Exposed
_________ Myths vs. the Facts
# Deadly _______Mistakes You Might Be Making
# Shocking Facts about _________
# Questions to Ask about _________

.Last But Not Least:Keep your headlines short – no more than eight words. Most visitors will scan the first few words before deciding to read further – or to move on. If your headline / tagline combination is short but summarizes your content, visitors will be more likely to read on. Remember: On average, 8 out of 10 people will read your headline, but only 2 out of 10 will read the rest. That’s why your headlines are so important for your writings’ success and to entice more than 20% of potential readers.

.

<><><><><>

.

If you would like to get more support in all things publishing, have your book intensively promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites – or to learn how you can make yourself a name as an author through content writing: We offer all this and more for only $179 for three months – or less than $2 per day! Learn more about this customized Online Seminar / Consulting for writers: http://www.111Publishing.com/Seminars

Please check out all previous posts of this blog (there are more than 1,100 of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and StumpleUpon.
Thanks a lot for following:

What is Passion?A great example of a writer who was successful because he wrote with passion and authenticity is Tennessee Williams. It is said that his play, The Glass Menagerie, is somewhat autobiographical. For those familiar with this play, it’s obvious that the playwright had strong feelings about his characters and the society in which they lived. Successful writers will follow Tennessee Williams’ example of identifying what they care about and writing on those subjects. It’s also important to show heartfelt emotion without going into unnecessary detail.

.What is heartfelt emotion, or passion?
A Wikipedia article explains that passion is an intense emotion, such as; enthusiasm, desire, or a positive affinity or love towards a subject. Passion also has a dark side. It can be linked to intense negative emotion, such as hate.
.Why is it Important That Our Writing be Passionate?We need to write about that which we have strong emotions, positive or negative. Simply put, we need to write about what we care about. Why is this important? Writing is like acting. People can tell if you’re emotionally connected. The most respected actors are the actors who are not “acting” a certain role; they are “being” a certain role. For example, if we see someone like Meryl Streep in a movie, we don’t think that she’s portraying the character in a skilled manner. Instead, we feel that she has actually become the character. She is not divisible from the character. In the same way, writers want their material to flow smoothly. Writers cannot write material that flows smoothly unless they care about the subject of their writing.

Suzanne Fetting, Confidence Coach, defines passion as energy in her blog. She says that passion fuels the fires of inspiration and that it motivates us. It’s hard to write about that which doesn’t engage us emotionally. How Do We Find Our Passion.

Mary DeMuth, guest blogger on Michael Hyatt’s blog, says that one of the best ways to find our passion is to find where need and joy collide. A good example of this would be a job that contributes to society in a positive manner while it utilizes our unique talents. Another way that she suggests that we find our passion is to ask our friends to identify what is our main personality characteristic. For instance, our friends may define us as “artsy”, “intelligent”, “athletic”, and so on.

.How Do We Balance Our Passion in Our Writing?It’s important not to be too emotional in our writing. When I was using some of my own life experiences while writing my first book, I spent a lot of time editing them because I was too emotional about those experiences. I edited certain passages fifteen times, and I still found that too much strong emotion came out in my words. In the end, I believe that I made my point clear with less emotion and fewer words. Readers don’t need a lot of details to understand a particular emotion that is being portrayed. In fact, too many details may be distracting. So, we want to keep details to a minimum.
.

Traci Lawrence writes about her passion: communication, relationships, the value of individuals and rising above verbal bullying, or trash talk. She lives in the Northern Virginia area of the United States and teaches English, among other subjects. Please find more on her blog, and read her book: Accept No Trash Talk.

Nirmala: The Mud Blossom graphically depicts the travails, discrimination, and abuse faced by female children in India from the cradle to the grave. Not an easy read I thought before starting the book. Despite it is a fictional story, it is a clear indictment of India and the inhuman way women and girls are still being treated today. However the story immediately drew my attention and I finished this gripping, fascinating novel in one reading session over the weekend.
.

The Reason for Writing this Story?
I was wondering how Fiza Pathan, a very well educated, and well-off writer, could tell the story of Nirmala the Mud Blossom. After all I knew her for her great non-fiction work CLASSICS: Why We Should Encourage Children To Read Them. And now a novel that takes place in the slums of Mumbai?
“Rejected and thrown into the dustbin when she was just two days old, the child was rescued and returned to her family by the NGOs. All because this little girl had the misfortune to be born as a female in Mumbai, India …
Nirmala is ill-treated by her mother, always subject to violence at her hands. She is allowed to continue her studies only because she can then coach her younger brothers, as the parents are illiterate. Each beating is accepted with forbearance, as she loves to go to school to get books to read from her library.
Nirmala is forced to stop her studies after the twelfth grade so her parents can save enough money to send the boys to college. She is then married off, but while her married life begins smoothly, it is only the beginning of her next phase of hell. After giving birth to her first child, Nirmala is subjected to harassment, beatings, and forced into doing things contrary to her beliefs and dreams. Her life is shattered.
What will happen to this little mud blossom? Will she fight back or succumb? How can she rid herself of harassment and rise above the stigma she endures?”
.

Fiza Pathan Explains in Her Own Words Why She Had to Write Nirmala: The Mud Blossom

My first novel which has just been released titled ‘Nirmala: The Mud Blossom’ was an accident. I had no intention of writing this story, let alone framing and formatting it into a novella. Yet when I pass the many filthy slums of Mumbai surrounding sky rise buildings and towers…I think to myself that maybe my character Nirmala and I both were accidents. Nirmala, was tossed into a dustbin because she was a girl…I was sent home to my mother’s family because I was a girl. Nirmala and I are two really different people and I can’t understand how I managed to write about her in the first place.

Do I empathize with Nirmala? Maybe…Do I sympathize with Nirmala? Maybe…but one thing is for sure. Nirmala got me thinking about reality, the reality that girls in India are not wanted…Nirmala and I both were not wanted.

Many self-publishing authors dread the costly editing process – a big mistake, as it might cost you not only readers, but your reputation as a writer. Sure, one of the highest expenses in book productions is the editing process. But there are ways to reduce these costs, especially for editors that charge their hours, instead of charging for words. First of all, let several other writers read your manuscript – they might see inconsistencies in the flow of your writing or major grammar errors, even typos, in order to get a more impartial view, etc. for example on Wattpad.com,

.
Author, editor and proofreader Darlene Williams wrote a great blog post for Karen Sanderson’s blog The Word Shark: “Many authors assert they are best qualified to copy edit and proofread their work, as they are most familiar with it. In fact, this is the reason an author is least qualified. Writers often fail to catch basic typographical errors, misused word, missing text, incorrect punctuation, and awkward sentences because they are too close to their manuscript.”

Darlene give’s authors three doable tasks what they can undertake to reduce editing costs:

Firstly, run a spell check;

Secondly, self-edit a minimum of two rounds; and

Thirdly, ensure the manuscript is in the English version (US or UK) intended for publication.

If you would like to get more support in all things publishing, have your book intensively promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites – or to learn how you can make yourself a name as an author through content writing: We offer all this and more for only $179 for three months – or less than $2 per day! Learn more about this customized Online Seminar / Consulting for writers: http://www.111Publishing.com/Seminars

Please check out all previous posts of this blog (there are more than 1,100 of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and StumpleUpon.
Thanks a lot for following: